Escutcheon mounting clip



Nov. 14, 1967 c. F. STUTE 3,352,083

ESCUTCHEON MOUNTING CLIP Filed Dec. 10, 1965 se'x l.

INVENTOR. Carlton E Srure ATTY.

United States Patent 3,352,083 ESCUTCHEON MOUNTING CLIP Carlton F. Stute, Riverdale, Ill., assignor to Admiral Corporation, Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Dec. 10, 1965, Ser. No. 524,630 4 Claims. (Cl. 52-716) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A clip for mounting an escutcheon to a cabinet wherein the cabinet is provided with a mounting strip and the clip may be secured at any position along the mounting strip by seating one clip leg thereon and tightening a threaded fastener into the escutcheon which draws the escutcheon towards the cabinet and automatically seats the remaining clip leg on the mounting strip.

This invention generally relates to cabinet construction and assembly. In particular, this invention is concerned with a mounting clip and associated clip driving tool for rapidly, simply, economically, and rigidly securing a decorative escutcheon to the walls forming the front of a television receiver cabinet.

It is conventional in the television manufacturing industry to purchase preassembled cabinets or enclosures for housing the television receivers and picture tubes which are ultimately sold to the consumer. A decorative escutcheon surrounds the viewing portion of the picture tube and fills the space between it and the walls forming the front of the television cabinet. This escutcheon is usually purchased as a separate item from a different supplier than that of the cabinets. During final assembly of the television set, the decorative escutcheon is mated and secured to the preassembled cabinet.

A typical method of securing an escutcheon is to have the cabinetmaker provide a wooden shoulder around the interior cabinet walls, adjacent the cabinet front. The cabinetmaker also provides a series of holes through the shoulder at specific locations, lying in'a front to back direction. The escutcheon is designed with bosses on its back surface, facing the shoulder, and are arranged for alignment with the holes previously provided by the cabinetmaker. On the assembly line, a fastener, such as of the self-threading type, is inserted through the hole in the shoulder and into the boss. Driving the fastener into the boss then draws the escutcheon towards the cabinet, thereby completing this phase of the assembly.

This method of securing an escutcheon to a television cabinet presented many difficulties and inconveniences. First, the cabinetmaker had to accurately drill the holes through the shoulder. Secondly, the escutcheon manufacturer had to locate the bosses in their exact locations to coincide with the shoulder holes. Misalignment of either the bosses or holes would result in an inadequately secured escutcheon, and would necessitate removal of the cabinet from the assembly line, re-drilling the shoulder, and re-setting the escutcheon. Further, unless the escutcheon and cabinet were specifically designed for each other, as is rarely the case when numerous styles and models of cabinets are available, one escutcheon could not be directly substituted for another. A series production delay could arise from this lack of interchangeability, for example, if cabinets of a particular design are available, and their exact mating escutcheons unavailable.

The disclosed invention obviates many problems present in prior methods of securing an escutcheon to a television receiver cabinet, by eliminating the holes previously required in the shoulder and substituting mounting clips of unique and novel design. In place of a drilled shoulder 3,352,083 Patented Nov. 14, 1967 the cabinetmaker now provides an extremely simple mounting strip on the interior of the cabinet adjacent its front. The design of the escutcheon continues to include bosses on its back surface, but their locations are relatively unimportant so long as they are of suflicient number and adequately spaced.

During assembly of the television cabinet and receiver, an escutcheon is set in place on the walls forming the cabinet front. A mounting clip is then positioned on the mounting strip adjacent each boss, and a fastener inserted therethrough. Driving the fastener into the boss seats the clip on the mounting strip and also draws the escutcheon towards its cabinet. Thus, prior alignment of the escutcheon with the cabinet is unnecessary.

Accordingly, it is the primary object of this invention to provide a means for securing an escutcheon to a television receiver cabinet without prealigning the cabinet with said escutcheon.

Another object of this invention is to provide a mounting clip for use in securing an escutcheon to a television receiver cabinet or the like.

A further object of this invention is to provide a universal assembly clip for securing any escutcheon to any television receiver cabinet of similar size without drilling holes through said cabinet.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a simplified, single-step operation for attaching a mounting clip, and securing an escutcheon, to a television receiver cabinet.

A feature of this invention resides in the use of a uniform mounting strip upon which a mounting clip may be easily attached at any location in alignment with an escutcheon boss.

The primary advantage of this invention rests in its extremely versatile application to various television receiver cabinets and escutcheons, regardless of style or size, and its novel and simple method of construction and assembly, respectively. Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon an examination of the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cutaway, partially exploded, perspective view of a television receiver cabinet, mounting clip, and escutcheon, incorporating an embodiment of the invention. This view is generally looking down from beyond a top rear corner of the television cabinet.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a mounting clip shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view, through line 33 of FIG. 1, of the more important elements of the television cabinet, escutcheon, clip, and mounting tool, but with the clip shown in two positions.

Turning to consideration of the drawings and in particular to FIG. 1, there is shown an ordinary television receiver cabinet 10 that includes a cabinet top wall 12, bottom wall 14, and two side walls 16 and 18. Normally the cabinet walls would be constructed of wood or a product thereof although it would be feasible to use the invention with walls constructed of metal.

A mounting strip 20, preferably of wood, is secured by a fastening device 21 to the side walls 16 and 18 inwardly of the enclosure, but adjacent the front thereof. The mounting strip includes a front side 22, and a back side 24, their respective directions each orientated with those of the television cabinet. Back side 24'is provided with a longitudinal notch or a kerf 26 at a back corner adjacent the wall to which it is secured. It is of course obvious that mounting strips may be provided along the interior top, and bottom walls if so desired, either in addition, or instead of those on the sides.

As best seen in FIG. 2, a mounting clip 30, fabricated 3f magnetic permeable" material, is of generally U coniguration and includes a rear leg 32, a connecting portion 57 perpendicular to the rear leg, and a front leg 40. The ear leg is' substantially flat and" terminates with aninva'rdly'fo'rmed lip 34' having teeth 36 at its ends. Front' eg 40- forms an acute angle with connecting portion 37, and is provided with an outwardly turned perpendicular :dge'42 and an extending flange 44. Aligned apertures 46 1nd 38 are punched through the front and rear legs, respectively, for receiving a fastener 47, having a head 48. The aperture size throughthe front leg is substantially larger than the diameter of the-' fastener to allow freedom of move'ment during mounting.

A decorative escutcheon or frame to be secured to the television receiver'cabinet is proportioned to fit either over or within the cabinet front and is of sufiicient width to [ill a normal gap between the picture tube and the cabinet walls. An'escutcheon of the former type is depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 and generally referred to by reference numeral 50. Escutcheon 50 has a framework 52' encompassing its periphery and includes a backwardly projecting rail-54terminating in' a flat n'ose' 56: A plurality of boss'es S8molded integral' with the e's-c'utcheon rear, are located inwardly of the rail and face the mounting" strip; These bosses are drilled to receive fasteners 47 during assembly of the television cabinet;

A- driving tool' 60 is u'sed to' facilitate handling and fastening the mounting clip. This tool has a shaft 62' which may be driven byan electric motor 63, a pneumatic device, or'manually, and terminates in a magnetic, socketlike driving head 64 adapted to receive the fastener heads. A magnetic collar 66, surrounding the driving head and having anoblique face 67, is pivotally secured to shaft 62- thereby allowing it to remain stationary during rotation ofsaid shaft; The'colla'r isalso adapted to slide 1ongitudinal along the shaft to either enclose, or partially expose, the driving head in atelescope-like'manner. A tab 68"is located at oneedg'e of the collar to assist in positioning the clip, while a coil spring 70 connectsthe'colla'r to a bearing 72. The coil spring allows the socket head toprotrude beyond the oblique face when a longitudinal force is exerted onshaft 62.

After the mounting strips have been secured to'the walls of the television cabinet, the escutcheon -i's-pla-ced-- in its assembled position, that is, with nose' 56 of rail 54 abutting front side 22 ofthe mounting" strip, as shown in FIG. 3. The magnetic mounting clip, having a-fastener extending through its apertures, isthen placed onthe driving tool with back leg 32'resting againstthe obliquefa'ce' and the fastenerhead partially engaged in the driving head. Tab 68 supports connecting portion 37 of the clip, which may now be-handled andmoved merely by grasping thedrivingtool.

To anchor the mounting clipand-escutcheon to the ca binet, an operator slides the clip forwardly; along the cabinetwall until teeth 36 andlip- 34'eng'age the kerf 26, and flange 44 rubs along aninwardedge of the mounting strip. This position' of the clipis shown in FIG: 3 in dashed lines. As theoperator s'lides'the clip towards the mounting strip he will of course aim the end of the fastener towards ahole in: one of the escutcheon bosses:

By driving the fastener into its boss, the" whole clip is Driving the fastener deeper into the boss squeezes the clip legs together and securely-anchors it to the mounting strip, thereby firmly holding the escutcheon in place.

What has been described is an inexpensive, reliable, simple, and novel mounting strip and clipfor securing any properly sized escutcheon to a television receiver cabinet of similar size.

It is obvious that upon study by those skilled in the art, the disclosed invention may be altered or modified both in physical appearance and construction without departing from its inventive concept. Therefore, the scope of protection to be given this invention should not be limited by the embodiment described above, but should be determined by'the essential descriptions thereof which appear in the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. In combination: an enclosure defining an opening; a mounting strip, having two sides, bordering said opening; a frame adjacent said mounting strip for attachment thereto in closing relationship to said opening; a resilient mounting clip having a pair of opposed legs each defining an aperture; a fastener, co-operable' with said clip through said apertures, for mounting said clip to said frame, one of said apertures being sufficiently large to allow pivotal movement ofsaid clip withrespect to'said fastener; said clip having one leg engaging one side of said'moun'tin'g strip and pivoting thereabout as said fastener urges said frame and said enclosure towards each other, whereby under further urging of said fastener the remaining, leg snaps into resilient engagement with the other side of said mounting strip and said'frame is drawn into mounted relationship with said enclosure.-

2L In-combination: an enclosure defining an opening; a mounting strip'at least partially bordering said opening, interior of said enclosure; 21' frame'a'djacent said opening having a boss thereon extending into said cabinet juxtaposition said mounting. strip; a normally concealed substantially U-shaped resilient clip having legsstraddling andgrippirig said mountingistrip; each of s'aid'legs'defining apertures; a normally concealed threaded fastener extending through said apertures, whereby when said fastener isthreaded into said boss, said frame is drawn into mounted relationship with' said enclosure and the legs of said clip are tightly compressedon' said mounting-strip.

3. The combination as set forth in claim Z'Where'in when a first of said clip legs is seated on said mounting. strip and said frame is drawn intomountedrelationship with said en'closureby said fastener, the remaining leg is automatically urged into straddling relationship withsaid' mounting strip.

4. The combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein said first clip leg includes a lip, and wherein said mounting strip includes a kerf receiving said lip, said lip and kerf cooperating to prevent'movementof said clip away from said mounting strip ina direction parallel'to'said'clip legs.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANCIS K. ZUGEL, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION: AN ENCLOSURE DEFINING AN OPENING; A MOUNTING STRIP, HAVING TWO SIDES, BORDERING SAID OPENING; A FRAME ADJACENT SAID MOUNTING STRIP FOR ATTACHMENT THERETO IN CLOSING RELATIONSHIP TO SAID OPENING; A RESILIENT MOUNTING CLIP HAVING A PAIR OF OPPOSED LEGS EACH DEFINING AN APERTURE; A FASTENER, CO-OPERABLE WITH SAID CLIP THROUGH SAID APERTURES, FOR MOUNTING SAID CLIP TO SAID FRAME, ONE OF SAID APERTURES BEING SUFFICIENTLY LARGE TO ALLOW PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID CLIP WITH RESPECT TO SAID FASTENER; SAID CLIP HAVING ONE LEG ENGAGING ONE SIDE OF SAID MOUNTING STRIP AND PIVOTING THEREABOUT AS SAID FASTENER URGES SAID FRAME AND SAID ENCLOSURE TOWARDS EACH OTHER, WHEREBY UNDER FURTHER URGING OF SAID FASTENER THE REMAINING LEG SNAPS INTO RESILIENT ENGAGEMENT WITH THE OTHER SIDE OF SAID MOUNTING STRIP AND SAID FRAME IS DRAWN INTO MOUNTED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID ENCLOSURE. 